Furious reaction as concrete plant plans get the green light

The application by Brett Aggregates was approved at a meeting of East Sussex County Council.

Ahead of its meeting their was a demonstration against the plans outside County Hall in Lewes.

The application for an area near Tide Mills on Seaford Bay had attracted more than 1,000 objections, a petition with nearly 4,000 signatures and a mass beach demonstration.

Emily O’Brien, a spokesperson for local group Community Action Newhaven said that the council’s analysis of the Brett application and it’s decision to go ahead is “deeply flawed and completely inadequate” and that the group will challenge the decision in court.

She said: “This site is next door to beautiful and fragile Tide Mills and is earmarked for ‘clean and green’ development - so how can they allow a 60ft concrete plant to ruin it? You don’t get much more dirty or more environmentally damaging.

“Our county councillors have let us down yet again. Newhaven is being dumped on yet again.”

She continued: “People have been calling me all afternoon to say they will not take this decision lying down. We will raise the money to take the county council to judicial review. There are people here who are prepared to take direct action to halt this devastating scheme.

“We don’t need more trucks on our roads, polluting the air. We don’t need more dirty industry when we were promised clean and green. Shame on you East Sussex County Council.”